


Patience

by IAmAshamedOfMyFanfics (faraandmera)



Category: ASTRO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Friendship, Gen, M/M, Romance, Spirits, everyone except bin and eunwoo are emotion spirits, people with magic are common place
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-21
Updated: 2019-11-23
Packaged: 2019-11-26 19:08:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18184562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/faraandmera/pseuds/IAmAshamedOfMyFanfics
Summary: Bin does what might be the dumbest thing he’s ever done. Seeks out runes and spells Dongmin had shown him- specifically so Bin wouldn’t accidentally create them- and uses them purposefully.  Summons four emotion spirits into his home, almost entirely to see if he could.And, worse, he binds one of them to himself, incorrectly.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's like the bts story i wrote (expressive), except it's astro and bin is doing this on purpose.  
> mostly.  
> uh bts are referenced briefly (just jungkook, actually) because i used said story to inspire bin's actions in this one. however! you don't have to know anything about bts or read that story to read this one! I try not to reference groups is stories about other groups, generally, so it's a very small thing, promise.

Most magic-bound people discovered they had magic as a young teenager. One Moon Bin is no exception to this. At thirteen, he became distinctly aware that he had magic after one too many instances of said magic going out of control. As such, it wasn’t any surprise when he was sent to a school for magic-bound individuals.

Bin progressed through teachings of magic fairly normally. A generally average student of everything except summoning magic. From bringing everything from animals to familiars around, Bin was fairly good at it. Didn’t have a particularly good memory for what runes or spells, specifically, would bring which creatures or spirits around, but once he had the right one, he had no trouble with the summoning.

His best friend- Dongmin- who studied spirits, more specifically, often provided him with references for spells known to summon different kinds of spirits. Mostly these were a _what not to do_  guide, as most spirits don’t take kindly to being summoned without warning. However, he found himself going back to them, one day, as a twenty year old.

See: just two years before, when he was freshly out of _required_ schooling, he’d moved into an apartment building across from the school, so he could continue attending. Most of the schools students did this, because it was convenient and there was _so much_ to learn about magic, or they hadn’t found their focus yet. In Bin’s case it wasn’t that he hadn’t found his focus, so much as he hadn’t studied it _enough_ to make a career out of it. Dongmin had done the same- the year before Bin had- and the two became neighbors.

Because of this, they both agreed something _strange_ was going on with another of their neighbors. Or, rather, the fact that their singular neighbor’s apartment suddenly had six extra people staying in it. The student- and upperclassman of Bin’s, and someone Dongmin has been in the same year as- quickly started acting nervous about the whole thing. At first, they assumed something was wrong. Debated bringing it up to a professor, or _someone_. But, then, one day that nervousness disappeared, and a few months later, the student moved out.

For a while, they didn’t know what had happened. And, then, almost exactly a two years later, Dongmin found out.

“Check this book out.”

“Okay?” Bin had raised an eyebrow, taken said book, and looked it over. A book was about emotion spirits- no wonder Dongmin had found it- and was titled simply. It looked fairly normal, though newer than most books on the topic were. It’s specification- being about emotion spirits- sounded interesting if just for the fact that most people didn’t know nearly anything about said spirits, but Bin couldn’t figure out why Dongmin was showing it to him.

“Look at the author, Bin!”

So Bin did. _Jeon Jungkook_. Their former-neighbor who had suddenly gained six roommates. “Oh.”

“I read it.”

“And?”

“ _They_ were _emotion spirits._ That was why he was nervous and suddenly moved away, he’d _summoned emotion spirits to our plane_. And bound them to himself.”

“Why?”

“An accident.”

“How do you _accidentally_ summon six spirits?!” Bin looks up from the book, to Dongmin, who shrugs.

“I don’t know, but it’s kind of impressive. _Anyway_ , I read the whole thing, and it was a perfect reference for my thesis project.”

“Oh?”

“And I figure, with your focus on summoning, at least the first few chapters will be useful to you.”

“Thanks.”

As it turns out, the first few chapters _are_  useful to Bin. They mostly talk about the how/what of the summoning and binding process. Talk about time-binds, which Bin is distinctly aware are increasingly difficult and dangerous to break, the longer they exists. Talk about summoning, and how it can accidentally be accomplished without proper preparation in place, when dealing with the spirit’s plane of existence. It’s interesting, even when it’s not complex topics for someone who studies summoning.

And it continues to be interesting, beyond the parts that are useful to Bin. Admittedly, Bin has never really understood Dongmin’s fascination with spirits. They’re _cool_ , don’t get him wrong, but they’re also not as interesting to Bin as- say- full blown familiars, or _monsters_ are. Yet, while reading the book, he thinks he _gets_ it. More than gets it; Bin starts to wish he’d learned more about spirits to start with.

Which is why Bin does what might be the dumbest thing he’s ever done. Why he seeks out those runes and spells Dongmin had shown him- specifically so Bin wouldn’t accidentally create them- and uses them purposefully. Compares the purpose of each one, to what he wants, and uses them to create a new, specific, rune that he lays out in his living room. (His room specifically for magic is too small.)

The thing about summoning runes, is that there are two basic kinds. Forced summons, and selective summons. Forced summons are pretty self-explanatory; they force the subject of the rune to show up, against their will. These require a lot from the summoner, and a lot more magic than Bin actually has, innately, without storing magic for an extended period of time. Selective summons are easier, and also safer, generally. They call upon their subject, but don’t force them to show up. Require less magic, because the being that’s summoned has a say, and their own magic finishes the spell.

Selective Summoning is what Bin chooses more often than not, and this case is no exception. He isn’t aiming to recreate what he’d read, so he has no reason to force the spirits to show up, and even less to forcefully bind them to himself. All Bin wants, really, is to _see them_. To prove he can do it. (And, maybe, to ask them some questions so he can pass information on to Dongmin, later.)

The runes are meant to summon more than one spirit, though he didn’t actually plan for a specific amount. So when four show up, he’s both surprised by the amount, and disappointed by it. (Still, he also kind of expected _none_ to show up, so he shouldn’t be.) Bin stares, as the four look around themselves. Then, finally, one of them moves towards Bin.

“Hey!” Their greeting is cheery, light. Not what Bin expects from a spirit who he just summoned. Nearly forgets, for a second, they aren’t human. The spirit in question holds out a hand, when Bin looks down at them. (Down because of their height. The spirits are all standing up, as is Bin.)

Slowly, Bin takes their hand, shaking it. “Hi?”

“I’m Myungjun.” Bin nods, at the words.

“Bin.”

“And,” Myungjun continues, as his hand is released, “I’m a joy spirit.”

Bin can’t find any shock, at that. Nodding, again, Bin offers Myungjun a smile. “Nice to meet you.”

Myungjun turns to the others, seems to contemplate something, before reaching for one of them. He pulls them- the tallest of the group- to his side, near Bin. There’s a sign of nervousness, in the way the other stands, before finally speaking.

“I’m Sanha.”

“Hi, Sanha,” Bin greets. Apparently his simple greeting is enough to erase Sanha’s nervousness, because he smiles, practically bouncing on his feet.

“I’m a spirit of hope!”

“Oh.” Bin blinks. “That’s really cool!” He genuinely means that, and Sanha seems to be able to tell, because he only smiles more.

Another- this time the shortest of the group- approaches, now. Bin turns to them, waiting, until the speak. “I’m Jinwoo. And since apparently we’re immediately saying so, I’m a trust spirit.”

“Well of course we’re immediately saying it,” Myungjun says, poking Jinwoo’s cheek. “He summoned emotion spirits specifically.”

“I guess.”

“I’m Minhyuk,” The final of them interrupts, breaking Bin’s focus away from the other two. Bin turns, nods, and waits for Minhyuk to continue. “Patience.”

“I see, so you’ve never been around here, then?” At Bin’s words, Minhyuk laughs.

“You would be surprised how much I am, actually.” Minhyuk shrugs, then motions to the circle around them. “Though I probably would have made you slow down this process if I was, this time.”

“So you’ve been around _me_ before?” Bin is suddenly faced with the realization that he hadn’t thought about that. The fact that these emotion spirits could have been around him, at any point, and he wouldn’t have known it. It’s unsettling, really, even if that was what they were supposed to do.

“Oh, no, your friend, technically.” Minhyuk shakes his head with a sigh. “There’s an anger spirit who keep following him around, specifically, so I’ve been trying to balance it out.”

“Is that why Dongmin keeps hitting me?!”

“Oh, no I think he just does that on his own.”

Bin frowns- pouts, really- at that, only to have an arm thrown around his shoulders. Myungjun speaks, before Bin can properly reacts to being pulled down. “So, you summoned us for a reason, right?”

“Well.” Bin isn’t sure he really _does_ have a reason. He wanted to prove he could, mostly, so that’s done. Then, he supposes, he can ask them some questions. Information he can pass off to Dongmin, later. “Would you guys be willing to talk a little about life as a emotion spirit?”

“Sure,” Jinwoo agrees, easily. The others hesitate, but one by one give their agreement.

“We can’t really stay in this plane, very long, though.” Myungjun’s words catch Bin off-guard.

He definitely hadn’t considered that, but it made sense. They existed, normally, on an entirely different plane of existence, so it probably required something to hold them onto Bin’s, for them to stay on it. He knows they normally _can_ show themselves, on said plane, but it likely required energy from them that they couldn’t maintain for long. He hadn’t considered it, before, because the book that lead to this hadn’t really mentioned it. Of _course_ it hadn’t; the author had bound the spirits to himself, effectively providing the link that let them stay.

“Right- well- I’ll be quick, then!” Bin says, pretending like he was prepared for this. Except he probably should have prepared paper, at least. Rushes to find some, so he can write down both his questions, and their responses. Sanha laughs at him, though tries to cover it up. “Okay!”

“Okay,” Jinwoo agrees, sitting on Bin’s couch. The others follow suit.

“Do you usually follow one set person, around, or multiple? Or just whoever you find that might need you?”

“Oh!” Sanha raises his hand, like he’s a student. “I usually follow a few different people, depending on which needs me the most.”

“You said you were- um- a hope spirit, right?”

“Yep.”

“Do those few people need you really often? Hope doesn’t seem like that common an emotion…”

“For some people it is.” Sanha shrugs, and Bin finds himself nodding.

“Is that the same for the rest of you?”

“Pretty much,” Minhyuk says, simply. Bin nods, again, noting that.

“Okay. So-” Bin pauses, suddenly unable to think of a question. There had to be _something_ he wanted to know. He should have asked Dongmin what _he_ would have asked a bunch of emotion spirits. But- then- Dongmin probably would have talked him out of summoning them, in the first place. “Uh…”

“Run out of questions, already?” Minhyuk’s teasing tone makes Bin frown. Glare, despite the fact he’s _right_.

“Shouldn’t you be patient?”

“Not when I’m already running out of magic.”

“Oh.” Bin pauses, looking over the group. Now that Minhyuk mentions it, he can practically _see_ their magic fading. Was it taking that much to keep them here? Or was it that they just had low supplies of magic, to start with, because they existed on a plane where there was magic around them, at all times. No need to store something you can grab from anywhere. “You guys can go, you know? I- uh- didn’t plan this out very well.”

“We know.”

“Hey-”

“It’s okay,” Jinwoo assures him, standing. “You can call on us, again, if you want? Well- I guess it’s hard to specifically summon a certain spirit…”

“I know!” Sanha jumps to his feet, and moves towards Bin. His sudden energy- in contrast to what he must be feeling, and how he was upon arrival, too- surprises Bin. He, startled, takes a step back while Sanha grabs his hands. “Bond with us. Then you can pull us to this plane, whenever.”

“Sanha, you can’t just-” Minhyuk is cut off, by Bin who echos a similar sentiment.

“I can’t do that. I don’t know anything about bonds or binding, I’ll probably end up doing the latter, and then you’ll just be stuck here.”

There isn’t a huge difference between binding and bonds, honestly. Bin doesn’t know enough about either to be able to explain the differences fully, either. He knows the former is permanent, unless forcibly broken, and the latter is more like a connection- signal- between two beings, but he couldn’t tell you how they work. Doesn’t know how to create the latter, at all, and only barely understands how binding works.

“Oh.” Sanha pouts, disappointment clear.

“Wait, Sanha, I know how your idea can still work,” Myungjun says, earning a grin from Sanha.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah! We already have bonds with each other, so if one of us does stay here, then the rest can show up, whenever.”

“Stay here?” Jinwoo’s questions earns their attention. “You mean, one of us forming a bind, and staying here permanently? Or at least until it’s forcibly broken?”

“Yeah.”

“You can’t be serious!” Bin’s exclamation comes without him meaning for it to, but he stands by it anyway. “You just met me, you can’t really trust being bound to me. I- I mean if I did that, then only I could break the binding. What if I took advantage of that?”

“Technically we could break it if we kill you,” Minhyuk says, as if that wasn’t a terrifying statement. Bin spins to look at him, while Jinwoo speaks,.

“Actually we _do_ know you. I mean, I was here when you were preparing to summon us.”

“Okay- kind of weird, but okay.” Bin sighs, runs a hand through his hair, and faces Jinwoo. “Still.”

“I think it’s you who would have trouble trusting us.” Myungjun’s words make Bin frown. He doesn’t distrust them- maybe he should? He’s _pretty_ sure his lack of distrust isn’t due to Jinwoo, either. They’re emotion spirits; they’d have no reason to use him. Maybe if they wanted an excuse to be in the human plane, he guesses they could be using him for that, but then what would be the point? They could easily find another magic user for that. There were plenty in the world who would _love_ a chance to talk to emotion spirits. Hell- they could probably have Bin ask Dongmin, and be able to convince the latter to do the same.

So he doesn’t actually have a reason to say no. Nor does he, he realizes, actually want to. “I don’t distrust you.”

“Okay?”

“And I don’t really have a reason to say no.”

“Mhm.”

“And I guess, maybe, I kinda think it’s a good idea, too.” Bin nods, mostly to himself. “So, any of you want to stay?”

“I can’t,” Sanha says, pout returning. “Like I said, some people _really_ need hope.”

“Right.” Bin nods, understanding.

Jinwoo shakes his head, when Bin turns to him. Doesn’t give a reason, but Bin doesn’t need him to. Jinwoo can do whatever he wants, and Bin literally just met him, so he has no reason to question it. Myungjun and Minhyuk both turn to each other, then. A silent debate must be talking place between them. Frowns, tilting of their heads, followed by either nods or shakes of said heads. Then, finally, Minhyuk breathes a sigh.

“Fine. Fine, but you better watch out for anger-boy for me.” Minhyuk points at Myungjun, a warning.

“Yeah, yeah, kid. I got it.” A thumbs up from Myungjun, and Minhyuk turns to Bin.

“You alright with me staying?”

“Of course.” Bin nods. The others leave quickly after that. Their magic exhausted, they give small goodbyes and fade. Minhyuk tells Bin they’re actually still _there_ , just not where Bin can see them. Then Bin sets out to quickly find the only book he owns that talks about binding. Finds it stuffed on the bottom of one of his bookshelves, and rushes back into the living room. Minhyuk is sitting on his coffee table, now, looking exhausted. Bin flips through the pages, rushing, looking for a simple binding. One he can do, and that wont be painful to break, later.

“Distance is easy to break.” Minhyuk’s tone is light, bored. Bin looks up, startled, then quickly back to his book. Searches for a distance-based binding, and finds it a third of the way through the book's spell listings. Minhyuk’s right, as it turns out. Distance bindings are weaker, the further the subjects are, and thus breaking it will be fairly simple, when they need to. Just get far enough away, then cut it.

“Okay.” Bin stands, from his couch, only to drop down next to Minhyuk. Holds the book with one hand, set on his legs, and holds out his other hand to Minhyuk. “Can you take my hand?”

“Mhm.” Minhyuk does as asked, grabbing Bin’s hand. Then, slowly, carefully, Bin recites the binding spell, and focuses his magic. It’s the latter part that’s actually difficult. Reciting spells- especially ones that so happen to be in his native language- is easy enough. It’s the part of spell casting that isn’t verbal, or physical, that is the most specific. The part that asks you to focus energy in a certain way, at the right timing, without being able to see or hear it, and barely being able to feel it.

Finishing the spell, Bin breathes a sigh. Closes his eyes, for a moment, not sure if he wants to look at the binding mark. To see if it worked, properly.

“Did it work?” Bin asks Minhyuk, when he realizes he really is too scared to look.

“Well, you bound us.”

“That- that isn’t a yes.” Bin opens his eyes, finally. Looks down at their hands. There’s a mark, like a tattoo, but in a glowing, soft amber. It’s pretty to look at, but unsettles him anyway. Distance bindings are meant to create deep, purple, bruise-like marks. The pattern of glowing letters- a magical language, not one he knows how to read without a guide- is not that. Bin’s breath catches in his throat. He’d done it incorrectly, clearly. Then what is this? What kind of binding had he created? How?

“Bin, it’s okay.” Minhyuk’s voice forces Bin out of his spinning thoughts. “It’s a spirit binding. Like you would have, if you had a familiar.”

Knowing what it is eases his worries only for ten seconds, before that sets in. “That’s worse! I- I can break a _spirit_ binding. I don’t have enough innate magic for that. How did I even do that?!”

Minhyuk moves, uses his free hand- Bin still hasn’t released the one holding his other hand- to grab the book from Bin. Traces over the page, until he reaches one of the words in the spell.

“When you read this, what did you think of?” Minhyuk’s question is simple, but Bin’s stomach sinks. Had he thought of something wrong, when reading it? Misdirected his magic, because of that?

“Dive?” He reads. If he was perfectly honest, Bin hadn’t processed the words he was reading more than just to read them. He had been too focused on not messing up the magic part of it. (Though clearly that hadn’t worked.) “Like into water?”

“Oh.” Minhyuk nods, slowly. “Okay, that’s probably it, then. That’s usually how spirits- like, _soul_ -spirits not _me_ -spirits- are focused on. Water, I mean.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Minhyuk squeezes his hands, then shrugs. “It’s definitely harder to break, though. You don’t even know how, right?”

“Right.”

“Then I guess you’re really stuck with me.”

“I thought you were going to kill me, if you needed out of being bound? Besides that, you’re _not_ a familiar, wont that affect this?”

“Not really. It’s not _only_ a familiar binding.” Minhyuk shrugs, again. “It’s okay; I live a lot longer than a human will. Your lifespan is basically nothing.”

“Thanks?”

Bin finally draws his hand away from Minhyuk’s. Looks at the mark. It trails around his forearm- too low to be his wrist- and abruptly cuts off at the center of his inner arm. Right where, when their arms were touching, the mark on Minhyuk’s arm began. Sighing, Bin shakes his head.

“So, were should I stay?” Minhyuk asks, as if the situation completely unconcern's him. Now that he isn’t being constantly drained of magic, maybe it doesn’t.

“Stay?”

“To sleep?”

“Oh, right.” Bin nods, the motions in the direction of his own bedroom. “You can take over that?”

“Okay.”

 

“You can’t be serious!” Dongmin says, when Bin explains the situation to him, the next day. Bin vaguely thinks he said the same thing, before he went through with it, anyway. Minhyuk, sitting beside the coffee table, with a bowl of cereal, glances at them.

“Oh, he is.”

“That’s Minhyuk?” Dongmin asks, quieter. Bin nods.

“You’ve sorta met.”

“Have we?”

“No.” Bin shakes his head, and Dongmin raises an eyebrow at Bin’s contradictions. “He used to help you, though.”

“Oh.” A pause, then he looks back to Minhyuk. “Thanks?”

“My job.” Minhyuk shrugs. “Myungjun is here, by the way.”

“Hey, Myungjun.” Bin says, vaguely to the room.

“No- _no_.” Dongmin shakes his head. “Don’t change the subject. Sorry, Myungjun, but we can’t just skip over the part where _you_ -”

“Me.” Bin nods, when Dongmin points at him.

“You bound yourself to a spirit so you could interview him?!” Dongmin breathes a heavy, deep, sigh. “Bin. You have classes, what if someone notices the binding marks? You don’t have a familiar, it would be with you if you did. They’ll know something is up.”

“I may not have thought this through.”

“Clearly.”

“So should I get a job?” Minhyuk’s question interrupts any further concerns from Dongmin. Bin pauses, considering this, before shrugging.

“Do you have ID?”

“No.”

“Then, no? Or get some, then get a job.”

“Okay.”

“I can’t believe you, Bin.” Dongmin sighs, again. “Did you at least get some information?”

“Oh, right, a little.” Bin nods. At this, Dongmin smiles, at least. “And Minhyuk’s still around, so we can ask him plenty.”

“Fine, okay. This isn’t even the worst thing you’ve ever done.”

“What does that mean?!”

“Evocation experiments, year two.”

“Fair.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “How did you travel?”  
> “Magic.”  
> “Thanks, wow, that’s so insightful.”  
> “I know. You’re so lucky to have me here, Bin.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUESS WHOM IS BACk  
> if any of you still care about this story know that i love you

The marks on Bin’s arm, from the binding, have faded, slightly. No longer glowing to the extent they retain his attention, but still glowing enough that they stand out. Some reading on the topic- and a discussion with Dongmin- tells him the marks will eventually fade into a light amber mark. Stop glowing after the bindings have fully set. He could, probably, break them before then. While they’re not completely set. At least, if he knew how, he could.

As it stands, Minhyuk waves off mention of this. “There’s no need.”

“Are you sure-”

“I already told you it was fine, Bin.”

So that situation is fine.

Still the marks leave more problems then just binding Minhyuk and Bin together. Spirit binding is mostly used for familiars. While there are can be used on other spirits- as Minhyuk assures him- no one really does. What would be the point? The binding was specifically made for sharing magic between human and spirits. (So they could lend magic when a human doesn’t have enough. Familiars can do that on their own, but the bind made it easier.)

Minhyuk doesn’t _have_  much magic. Emotion spirits didn’t _need_  much magic. They existed on a plane just off-set from humans. The one human’s magic was sourced from. They didn’t need to hold their own magic when they were surrounded by plenty of it. If anyone was lending someone else magic through their being bound, it was Bin.

Bin couldn’t say he has a familiar, if someone asked. Doesn’t have enough magic to pretend he does, and can’t draw from Minhyuk’s weak supply of magic either. He can’t very well tell anyone what he’d actually done, either.

There was a reason emotion spirits were amongst the rarest to have information on, despite being the most closely linked to the human world. Bin doesn’t know all the details, but he’s aware of humans having…negative reactions to emotion spirits. To having their emotions affected by something without their knowing. Not everyone, but enough that the spirits stopped showing up in the human realm basically ever. Bin couldn’t very well go and tell people he had bound himself to one, they’d ask question he couldn’t answer at best. He doesn’t know what would could happen, at worse.

So… Bin has classes. Classes he’d chosen to take, when he chose to continue his magic education, and ones he can’t really afford to miss. He also has the obvious, glowing, mark of a spirit binding trailing over his left arm. He tries the obvious- long sleeves- first, but finds the glowing emitting from inside the sleeve somehow _more_  obvious.

“Maybe I could bandage it?”

“You’ll need an excuse.” Bin jumps at Minhyuk’s voice, somehow forgetting he’s there. Really, Bin had been talking to himself.

“Kitchen accident?”

“You’ll need an excuse for not using healing magic.” Minhyuk points to Bin’s arm, as if that makes his point stronger. Bin frowns down at it.

“No chance you can take an inhuman form and claim to be a familiar?”

“Even if I could, any familiar would immediately realize I wasn’t one.”

Bin sighs. There are plenty of students with familiars- teachers, too- that would call him on that immediately. “Okay- how about this: I bandage it _and_  wear long sleeves. Can’t call me out on not healing a wound if they don’t see the bandages.”

“Could work.”

“Please sound less confident, you’re giving me too much hope,” Bin says, sarcasm etched into his tone. Minhyuk laughs at him.

“I’m not a hope spirit, that’s not my job.”

“I should have asked Sanha to stay.”

“He’s busy.” Minhyuk shrugs. “It’ll be fine. Your plan could work.”

“Thanks.”

“You worry too much.”

“Can I blame that on a spirit?”

“No it’s just us here.”

“You could lie to me.”

“I am not a liar.”

“Right.”

 

So Bin goes to class, arm bandaged and hidden under the sleeves of a sweater. It seems to work, glow not strong enough to escape both, nobody seems to notice.

No humans, at least. Bin can practically feel the eyes of classmate’s familiars staring at him, though they say nothing. Likely just confused he’s alone, if they can sense the bind. That doesn’t make him any less _worried_  about it.

At any other time, this worry would make him want nothing more than leave. It still does, but… Bin doesn’t feel like it’s getting any worse, the longer he sits in class. The words of his professor- something about forced summoning that Bin really doesn’t want to hear- don’t entirely fade into background noise. He manages not to think about the ticking of the clock, and how long it is until he can leave.

Doesn’t rush from the room the second they’re dismissed. Finds himself walking back home, without any rush.

It isn’t until he’s unlocking his door that the reason that might be hits him. Bin closes his door with a click, drops his bag- filed with unused books- beside the door. Slowly makes his way into his living room, where Minhyuk seems to have found his computer. Music fills the space where silence otherwise would have.

“I’m back.”

“Yeah, I noticed.” Minhyuk turns to look at him. “I borrowed your computer.”

“I noticed,” Bin echos, nodding. “Hey- uh- I have a question for you.”

“That is why I’m here.” Minhyuk nods, Bin’s gut twists with a feeling he can’t quite place. It’s not quite guilt, but something close.

“Uh- yeah. It’s actually about spirit binds, though.”

“Okay?” Minhyuk’s confusion- clear on his face- is startling. Bin hadn’t realized it, but the other has barely expressed _anything_  genuinely since they were bound together. Had said it was fine, assured Bin as much. But was he more bothered than he let on? More affected? “Bin?”

“Oh- um. I know it allows sharing magic.”

“Yeah?” Lighter, but his tone is still filled with confusion. Minhyuk tilts his head, Bin frowns.

“But is that all?”

“Hm?”

“Like- say- if it was used on a emotion spirit, could said emotion also be shared?”

“Oh.” Minhyuk pauses. Frowns. “Maybe? Why?”

“Because I walked back.”

“Huh?”

“I wanted nothing more than to leave,” Bin lifts his arm, as explanation, “but I walked back.”

“Oh,” Minhyuk repeats. “I don’t know.”

“I guess at least you weren’t doing it, if that is the case.” Bin moves, sits next to Minhyuk on the couch. “Minhyuk?”

“Yeah?”

“I know you _said_  it’s fine, but is this really okay? I can… ask someone for help, if this is a problem. To break this, if you don’t want to be here.”

Minhyuk remains silent for long enough Bin thinks he was _right_. That Minhyuk might not want to say it, but that this bothers him. That he doesn’t want to be here.

And why would that matter? Bin tries not to frown, as the silence continues. They just met, and Bin didn’t even really have a _reason_  to keep any of them here, let alone Minhyuk specifically. All of his question were irrelevant at worst, and more relevant to Dongmin at best. Of all people, Bin didn’t have a reason to be in this situation.

So why was he?

“No,” Minhyuk says, finally.

“What?”

“I’m not.” Minhyuk sighs, runs a hand through his hair. “I’m not _okay_  with this situation.”

“Oh. Then-”

“ _But_.” Minhyuk turns, meeting Bin’s gaze, effectively silencing Bin. “I do want to be here. It’s- um- selfish, but I only really get to see the world second-hand. I don’t have enough magic to stay here long enough to do anything myself. I just- um- watch other people do stuff. So I want to be here. It’s just how- just that we did this that bothers me.”

Minhyuk raises his right arm, and Bin looks at the still glowing marks that bound them together. “I’m sorry.”

“That’s not-” Minhyuk sighs. Slumps back against the couch with a frustrated expression. “That’s not it. I’m not bothered by- how do I put this?”

“It’s not because you’re bound to me?”

“No.”

“Then because of the type of binding?”

“Not that either.” Another sigh. “I’m…this is causing issues for _you_. Will- it- this will basically always be a problem for you, because bindings are permanent.”

“Oh.” Bin stares at the marks on Minhyuk’s arm. Glances at his own arm- marks hidden, but he can feel the magic in them, still- and tries to form a response. Finally, he manages words. “I don’t mind. It’s really not that inconvenient. I mean- in a few years it wont even be a problem, because I’ll be out of school again.”

Minhyuk laughs at that, genuinely. Small, but enough that Bin finds himself laughing too. “Ah yes, because your being in school is the biggest issue with this.”

“It is.” Bin lifts his arm, reminder of how he had to cover it.

“Obviously.”

 

They settle into a sort of routine, after that. It’s easy enough to hide the binding marks as the autumn weather provides plenty of excuse for long sleeves, and as the glowing fades it becomes less necessary to waste bandages on it. In the mornings Bin leaves Minhyuk in the apartment, to attend classes, and returns in the afternoon, usually with a number of generally pointless questions. Pointless, but Bin may just be one of the only two- three if he counts Dongmin- people in the world able to ask an emotion spirit directly.

 

“So do you guys need to eat or?”

“We _can_ , obviously,” Minhyuk says, shrugging. “We don’t need to.”

 

“Okay so you obviously sleep, but do you _need_  to?”

“Yes.”

“Oh.”

“You know we should probably figure out a better solution for our sleep arrangements.”

“That’s true.”

 

“How did you travel?”

“Magic.”

“Thanks, wow, that’s so insightful.”

“I know. You’re so lucky to have me here, Bin.”

 

“Do you ever feel weird about watching other people’s lives?”

“I-” A pause, drawn out and contemplative- “do, but probably not in the way you would.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s- uh- kind of like watching characters, you know? But you’re real and sometimes I remember that, then it feels weird.”

“Hm, okay…”

 

“No but seriously, do you- like- teleport?”

“I run.”

“Please.”

“I’m faster than anything on your plane of existence.”

“I hate that I can’t tell if you’re joking or not.”

“I teleport, yeah.”

“Thank you.”

 

“Wait; where do you guys get _clothes_?”

“I’m a thief. I’m a criminal, Bin, I’m so sorry I didn’t warn you.” Silence. “We have our own society, it’s just- like- offset from yours.”

“Oh, okay.”

 

And Bin takes notes, of whatever question he asks, and the- real- answers to those questions. They’re all little things, generally. But, he finds, they’re things _not_  in the book Dongmin gave him. He reads through the whole thing, one night a week after Minhyuk’s arrival, and finds that the information in it is, generally, more _significant_. More big-deal things, that most people would probably find interesting.

How much influence they have over humans. How often they interfere. How long their life-spans are. Things of that sort.

Do they have any of their own traditional foods, or are those the same as the country they’re in? Do they have their own music? Do they spend more time with each other, or with the humans they’re affecting? These are question Bin asks- gets the answers to; yes, no, it depends- and one’s that aren’t in the book. One’s that are far more interesting, in Bin’s personal opinion.

“So are you going to write your own book?” Dongmin asks, during another visit. Minhyuk left the apartment off to who-knows-where leaving the two alone, as Bin hands his current set of note to the other.

“You’re the one studying spirits.” Bin shrugs. Dongmin pauses, then shakes his head.

“Yeah, but this is all _your_  work, Bin.”

“Consider it research material, for your own thesis.”

“My thesis of what emotion spirits eat for dinner?”

“Yes. It’ll be a unique one.”

“I guess.”

“And in exchange…”

“I should have seen that coming.”

“Can you do some research for me on spirit bindings? Beyond the obvious stuff.” With Bin’s words, Dongmin eyes the faded marks on Bin’s arm, and nods.

“Sure, but can’t you do that?”

“I could…” But he doesn’t want to. Bin isn’t sure why, but he doesn’t want to go searching information about it out, himself. Part of it is a weird feeling of anxiety about what someone else might think he’s doing that research for. What Minhyuk might assume he’s doing that research for.

“Okay, sure. It’s a deal.”

 

Dongmin leaves, a few hours later, and Minhyuk returns later, still. Leaving Bin alone for a few hours, during which time he catches up on school work he’d been spending less time on. He only has half a year left, before he finishes all the studies he needs to go into a summoning-centric career. He still doesn’t actually have a plan, for that, and having a spirit bound to him- one that isn’t a familiar- sort of limits his options, but whatever he ends up doing will likely be less stressful than his current situation.

When Minhyuk does return it’s just as Bin is finishing the first draft of an essay. (The final draft, most likely, knowing himself.) It’s also with the words, “guess who has a fake ID?”

“You?”

“Yep!” Minhyuk drops onto Bin’s couch, opposite Bin. “I can get a job, now.”

“Do you have a plan?”

“Nope.”

“ _Wow_.”

“Hey.” Minhyuk gives Bin a pointed look which has no affect on him. “I’ll find something, even a part time thing. Have patience.”

“That’s your job.”

“I don’t get paid for that.”

Bin laugh, nods, and then stops both of those with a sudden realization. “Wait, then why do it?”

“Do you _only_  do things you’re paid to do, Bin?”

“No- but- I mean do you even _like_  your, “job,” as an emotion spirit?”

Silence. Silence that goes on for far too long. Silence that is broken not by an answer, but by Minhyuk looking away, standing, and simply saying, “anyway, I’m going to sleep,” and leaving the room.

Bin is left with more questions, one louder in his mind than the others. Is it just Minhyuk, who would react like that, or all of them? And- no matter the answer to that- what _is_  the answer? _No_ , Bin would assume, but wasn’t that a simple answer? Something he could just say?

Bin breathes a sigh, sets his schoolwork aside, and lays on his couch.

Well, he has plenty of time to find those answers. His entire life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the past- like- month has been.......less than ideal as a stay and monbebe (and as someone who found out really late about laun from onf)  
> but uhhhhhhh astro's comeback is great, 10/10, and that helps (also a lot of other groups, like a.c.e, too)  
> i hope moonbin get's better soon
> 
> there will be more of the other kids in the future chapters probably

**Author's Note:**

> comments are always greatly appreciated!


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